Valve for sprinkler systems



Dec. 31, 1929. v E. TYDEN VALVE FOR SPRINKLER SYSTEMS Filed Sept. 26,1927 @V'e z or.

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Patented Dec. 31, 1929 UNITED STATES.

PATENT ()FFICE VALVE FOR SPRINKLER SYSTEMS Application filed September26, 1927. Serial No. 221,892.

This application is a continuation in part of my application #686,554,filed January 16, 1924, and abandoned in view of this continuation inpart.

One purpose of the invention is to provide an improved construction in amain valve structure of a sprinkler system in respect to the main valveand the valve controlled alarm duct for ensuring the operation of thealarm when the main valve is opened without cause requiring operation ofthe sprinkler system, or there is a certain amount of leakage past itwhich should call for attention, and at the same time to ensure thatwater will not pass the alarm duct to cause an alarm to be given whenthere is not occasion for it consisting in escape of water past the mainvalve.

Another purpose of the invention is to provide a sprinkler system mainvalve construction of which the main valve and its seat may be readilyseparated from the structure for re-fitting and repair made necessary bywear or abrasion of the seating surfaces causing such leakage as mightoperate the alarm; so

that it shall not be necessary to do such repair work through the handhole of the main valve body which affords insufiicient access for thenecessary tools and manipulation thereof. For this reason in previousconstructions when valve or valve seat repairs were required, it hasbeen necessary to completely dismount and dismantle the entire mainvalve construction, which on account of r the great size and weight ofthese structures,

0 is expensive operation and one which necessitates the shipment of theentire construction to the factory for the necessary repairs,leaving'without protection the building protected by the device, ornecessitating the temporary installation of a substitute apparatus.

The problem presented is to accomplish these two related purposes in thesame construction by means consistent with and con tributing to bothpurposes. The invention consists in the elements and features ofconstruction shown and described as indicated in the claims.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a vertical axial section of the final element of the mainvalve water supply pipe and the initial pipe element of the system whichis the main valve body member, with the main valve seat member and themain valve thereon suitably interposed between the final element of thewater supply pipe and said main valve body member.

Figure 2 is a similar view showing a m0di fication.

Figure 3 is a plan view of the main valve seat member in the form shownin Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a vertical section in the plane indicated by the line 44 onFigure 3 through all of the assembled parts in the form shown in Figure2.

In the structure shown in Figure 1 of the drawings, A is the terminalelement of the main water supply pipe, B is the main valve body whichmay be considered also as an initial pipe element of the sprinklersystem served by the main supply pipe, C is a valve seating memberinterposed between said pipe element, A, and main valve body or initialpipe element, B, of the system. D is the main valve controlling thedelivery of water from the main supply pipe to the system. The terminalpipe element, A, and the main valve body or initial pipe element, 13, ofthe system are mated for water tight junction upon being clampedtogether, having marginal flanges, A and B respectively, provided withregistered bolt apertures for clamping bolts, K. The facing surfaces ofsaid elements, A and B, are suitably milled to form clamping areas at aand b, respectively, and the valve seating member, C, is similarly facedat its opposite sides forming shoulders, 0 for fitting Within theopposite ends of said terminal and initial pipe elements, A and B,respectively, and being clamped between the clamping areas, a and b,respectively, so as to effect substantially non-leaking unction betweenthe three parts, A, B and C. The valve seating member, C, has aperipherally projecting lug, G which projects from between theperipheral flanges of the pipe elements, A and B, at one side thereof,said lug serving for a duct, 0 which leads from an inlet at 0 within theport area of said seating member, C, substantially at the plane of theseat, C of the main valve,

I). Said lug, G at its outer end is adapted, as seen at C, for pipeconnection leading to an alarm or signalling device, not shown.

The valve, D, is hinged at the opposite side of the water inlet portthrough the seating member, C, from the position of the inlet, 0 of theduct, 0 for swinging upward from the seat for opening the port. Theconstruction as thus far described is particularly designed forconvenience in assembling the valve seating member and the valve thereonbetween the respective terminal and initial pipe elements, A and B, sothat in case of any repairs being necessary, the entire valve and itsseating member may be removed and replaced with a minimum disturbance ofthe remainder of the system and connections. And it will be noted thatthis facility of removal and replacement of these parts, which are theonly parts liable to require attention for repair, is obtained by themode of junction of the three parts, A, and C, consisting in providingthem with mated clamp'ag areas and clamping them together by dirct draof the clamping bolts, which method is distinguished from more commonmethods of uniting pipe elements by screw-threaded joints which wouldrequire, in constructions of the size and weight of dry pipe valve andconnections, very heavy tools and special apparatus for operating, orthe only possible alternative of uniting the parts by drivefittedjoints, which again, in such heavy eonstructions, would require specialapparatus, would practically defeat disassembling if the drive-fittedjoints were in fact water-tight. The valve, E, for seating at the inlet,0 of the alarm duct, 0 is desirably formed separately from and mountedupon the main valve, D, and for this purpose, said main valve has aboss, D projecting upwardly opposite the hinged side, said boss beingvertically bored to receive a valve-carrying plug, G, in which there ismounted the valve member, E, which seats downwardly upon the seat,around the port, 0 said seat being formed by the inner end of the boss,C through which the alarm duct, 0 is formed. The port through the boss,D is counterbored at its upper end to a shoulder, at, for stopping thevalve carrying plug, G, and is further counterbored and threaded forreceiving aclosing plug, F, which being screwed down, retains the valvecarrying plug on said shoulder, (Z The valve carrying plug is bored toreceive the stem, 6, of the valve, E, and counterbored at its upper endto admit a nut, E screwed onto the upper end of the stem, 0, forretaining the valve with suitable range of movement of seating andunseating. This construction is designed to permit ready removal of theentire fitting carrying the valve, E, for any necessary attention toensure its proper action. Desirably, the valve member, E, is mounted foraccommodation to its seat both with respect to being seated fully at theseating position of the main valve, and also for coming to its seatthroughout its entire seating surface; and for this purpose the stem, 0,is loosely fitted in the valve carrying plug, G, and a coil spring, H,is interposed between the upper shoulder of the valve head and the lowerend of the valve carrying plug, G. This construction, as will be readilyunderstood, permits the valve to yield upwardly and slightly laterallyto accommodate its seat in both respects indicated.

A characteristic feature of this invention consists in that theauxiliary duct, 0 is devoid of threaded joints between the parts inwhich it is formed, from the seat of the auxiliary valve, E, to the endof the boss C outside the valve body, at which end pipe connection maybe made as indicated by the interior threads at C The particularconstruction which is shown for avoiding such threaded joints is one inwhich the valve seating member, C, is machine titted onto the end of theupper terminal web of the water supply pipe member, A, to complete thepassage to the main valve body, B, by the substantial registration ofthe ports of the two members, A and C. Such absence of threaded jointsis important by reason of the liability of any threaded joint to becomeleaky, and in the case of this auxiliary duct any leakage outside thevalve body would be taken as indicating imperfect seating of theauxiliary valve; and such imperfect seating would call for immediateattention to remove or remedy the condition; and if such leakage couldoccur otherwise than by imperfect seating of the valve, the attendantswould be frequently misled into opening the hand hole usually providedin the main body for obtaining access to the valve for the necessaryrepairs; which as above indicated, would be made very imperfectly andwith great diiiiculty by operating through the hand hole; and, except incase of very minor injury to the seating surfaces, would require thedismantling of the entire structure in order to bring the parts to amachine for re-dressing the seating faces.

By constructing this auxiliary duct so that no leakage thereunto ispossible except by imperfect seating or partial opening of the mainvalve, such unnecessary attention involving draining the system isavoided. Another very important advantage of and motive for theinvention consists in that, as above pointed out, whenever attention isrequired for refitting either the main valve or the main valve seat, orthe seat on the main valve seating member of the auxiliary valve, thework cannot be performed etlectively upon the parts while they remain inthe main valve body; and the separation of the parts for working uponthem at the bench, or at the proper dressing machine, is impracticablein the forms of constructions heretofore common, but is rendered veryeasy by the construction described, which permits the members, A and B,to be separated without displacement from the position in the system,while the valve seat member, C, and valves thereon are removed for thework to be done on them.

In the construction shown in Figures 2, 3 and 4, the parts, A, B and C,are constructed for being assembled and secured together in the samemanner as in the construction of Figure 1. In this construction thealarm valve, E*, is mounted in the boss, D of the main valve, D, bymeans of a valve-carrying sleeve, G stopped by its exterior shoulder, 9on the shoulder, (Z formed by counterboring the boss, D from the upperend, the sleeve having an interior shoulder, for stopping the valve, E*,which has a flange, 6 at tiie upper end cooperating for that purposewith the shoulder, 9 while the sleeve houses a spring, H for stressingthe valve, E on its seat, a plug, F serving to retain the spring.

In this form the alarm duct indicated in totality by reference characterQ, comprises a port, 9, formed in the valve seat member, C", which isformed as in Figure 1, for being clamped between the final water supplypi 3e element, A, and the main valve body member, B, said duct portion,Q, leading from the upper face of the valve seat member at which itsmargin constitutes the seat of the valve, E downward a short distance,and then in the course indicated at Q horizontally in an arc of aboutaround the main valve seat port to the forward side of the structure;thence outward radially, as seen at Q2, in a slight outwardly protrudingboss, 0, of the valve seat member, 0*, then upwardly to the upper faceof the valve seat member at which it started and through which itemerges as seen at QX for registration with a continuation of said duct,seen at 9 in the main valve body member, B; said continuation turningoutwardly, as seen at 9' emerging and being counterbored and threaded asseen at g for a pipe connection to lead to the alarm.

In this form, as in that shown in Figure 1,

he purpose and advantage served is theavoidance in the course of theduct, q--g from the entrance port, 9, at which the alarm valve, E seats,to the exterior of the structure, of any joint at which water mightenter and pass to the alarm valve, or be found escaping without passingto the pipe leading to the alarm, that is, not having passed by thevalve, E and not having entered the port, 9, and therefore not in factindicating the conditions for sounding the alarm; this avoidance beingeffected by means which makes it possible to readily remove the mainvalve seat and valves,-for any work necessary on either the valves orthe seats to correct the leakage,causing wear; so that it is notnecessary to do such repair work on the parts while they are accessibleonly through the usual hand hole. And it will be recognized that thefeature which gives these results consists in making all the junctionsbetween the three main elements, viz, (1) the final water pipe supplyelement, (2) the main valve seat member, and the main valve body memberor initial pipe element of the sprinkler system,by clamping themtogether at fiat surfaced junctions, the clamping pressure for all thejunctions between the three parts being in the same direction andpreferably effected by one and the same clamping means, namely theclamping bolts, K.

I claim:

1. In a fire extinguishing sprinkler system a main water supplyingstructure comprising a water inlet pipe member, a main valve body memberand a main valve seating member; said three members having substantiallyregistering water ports and annular areas encompassing said portsadapted for water-tight junction of said members successively with eachother, and means for clamping said three members together with the valveseating member interposed and clamped between the other two; a mainvalve in the main valve body member pivoted for seating on said mainvalve seating member; a duct whose entirety is comprised within saidthree clamped-together members, having its inlet port at the innersurface of said valve seating member and extending thence into and inout-ward direction past the zone at which said three members are clampedwater-tight, for emerging at the exterior sur face of one of saidmembers, and a valve controlling said last mentioned port carried by themain valve for seating at said port.

2. In the construction defined in claim 1, the main valve beingpivotally mounted upon said interposed main valve seating member anddimensioned over all, including its pivotal mountings, for entrancethrough said registered water port of the main valve body in assemblingsaid three clamping members together for clamping.

3. In the construction defined in claim 1, the interposed and clampedvalve seating member being dimensioned as to thickness for accommodatingsaid duct and having the duct extending therein transversely of saidzone and opening upwardly within the zone at the surface of said valveseating member, the valve body member having a continuation of said ductopening within the clamping surface at a position for registering withsaid upward opening of the valve seat 1nemher, the duct extending in thevalve body member upwardly a short distance and then outwardly openingthrough the exterior surface of said body member for exterior pipeconnection thereto.

4:. In a construction of the class indicated, a main valve body and animmediately antecedent Water pipe element on Which said valve body ismounted at the intake of the latter; a main valve seatmemberperipherally dimensioned for clamping engagement between the facingsurfaces of said valve body and pipe element marginal with respect tothe registered apertures of said parts; and means for securing the valvebody and pipe element tog-ether for clamping said valve seat memberbetween said marginal areas; an auxiliary duct leading from the innerside of said valve seat member past the marginal seat of the main valvebody member on the valve seat member and emerging for discharge throughan exteriorly exposed area of one of the two last mentioned members,said duct having its inlet situated for access of Water derived from themain valve port and adapted for pipe connection at the discharge end atthe exterior of the member through Which it emerges, and a valveoperated by the main valve for opening and closing' simultaneouslytherewith for controlling Water access to said auxiliary duct.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 21st day ofSeptember, 1927. EMIL TYDEN.

